


Into My Arms

by idratherwrite



Series: Scerek Week 2013 [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, F/F, F/M, Freeform, Hales are alive, M/M, No Fire, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 17:45:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idratherwrite/pseuds/idratherwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the sort of prompt: "Is there a scerek fic where Scott has a kid (Stiles) that he adopted so he’s a goofy and kind of clumsy single dad with a heart of gold and Derek meets him and at first he’s all like “how can you survive AND take care of a child” but little by little he finds them both more and more adorable and he just wants to keep them?"</p><p>(Scerek Week 2013 Day 3: Alternate Universe)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Into my Arms" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a plan for this fic but then it kind of spiraled away from me. I may add a second chapter with an actual plot if I can get a decent outline for it.

Scott remembered the day Stiles came into his life vividly. He came home from college to find his mom crying in the living room and it took at least several minutes of uncontrolled sobbing before he understood what was going on. Minutes later they were in the car on the way to the hospital.

John Stilinski, the town's sheriff and their old family friend, had been shot trying to stop a shoplifter. His wife had died at childbirth so now there was a nine-month old baby in need of a home and John had made it very clear he wanted Melissa to take him in.

When they put the baby in her arms, Melissa sat down and began violently sobbing. Scott moved quickly, taking the baby in his arms and trying to console his mother.

John's death was hard on Melissa, and her work was her refuge. So it was Scott who took care of Stiles. This was no easy feat since Stiles was unconsolable the first week in their house. Scott tried his best to calm him down, every now and then looking up and asking John and Claudia to help him.

Juggling college and taking care of Stiles and his mother wasn't easy. Thankfully, his mom slowly began to be home more and help with Stiles.

Scott was content thinking of Stiles like a younger cousin or even a little brother until one day playing with him in the living room while his mother is setting the dinner table. With little ceremony, Stiles takes a large plastic block and hands it to Scott while yelling "Dada!"

Scott and Melissa freeze on the spot.

"Dada!" Stiles yells again, handing the block to Scott again.

"No, Stiles, your dad-" Scott begins to say, his voice soft.

"Dada! Dada! Dada!"

Scott looks at his mom who only looks back with tears in her eyes. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds before Scott looks back at Stiles and takes the block.

"Yes, dada," Scott mutters. "I won't be as good as your actual dad was, I'm sure. But I'll do my best."

Stiles is already distracted and biting on a teddy bear, and Scott's heart swells with so much love for the little boy he's amazed he's not reduced to crying on the floor. Instead he stands, lifting Stiles with him and walks to his mother.

"So, it seems like you're a grandma now."

Melissa's laugh is loud and clear and. She wraps her arms around Scott and Stiles. "Well, this isn't how I expected to become one but I'm glad you didn't knock up anyone."

\-----

Stiles is turning three and the party is held at Lydia's place. It's just a small gathering of friends: Lydia, Allison, Aiden, Ethan, Danny, Isaac, Melissa, Scott and of course, Stiles. Lydia goes overboard, as usual, ordering a delicious cake and small version of the same cake exclusively for Stiles. She has the pool area decorated with Cookie Monster, Stiles' favorite character, and even has some puppeteers come to perform for Stiles.

"You'll spoil him rotten," Scott complains as he watches his mother sit by the pool with Stiles. He loves the water.

"Only until we decide to have our own," she grins.

"Would you be carrying, or Allison?"

Lydia shrugs. "We'll see."

They hear Stiles shriek with joy as he gets splashed by Danny and his boyfriends (only Danny could've managed to get two insanely hot twin boyfriends, really).

"So," Lydia starts with a tone that makes it clear she's about to pry. "Met anyone recently?"

"Only daycare people," Scott says, grinning.

"You know what I mean," Lydia says, not amused.

"I really don't have time," Scott complains. "Between college, my job and Stiles I'm lucky I haven't dropped dead from exhaustion."

"Bull," Lydia states. "You know your mom could babysit if you needed. Or Allison. Or Danny. Even I would babysit if it meant you finally could have conversation with someone your age."

"I come and talk to you often. You're my age."

Lydia rolls her eyes.

"Sure, mock me as I worry for your celibate life. You need to get laid, Scott."

Scott turns red. "That's really not my priority right now, Lyds. I need to start looking for a better job if I want Stiles to go to a good school."

Lydia sighs but lets it go.

\----

Scott does eventually go on dates, and it's one failure after another. Twice he mentions Stiles and his date pretty much bails out right then and there. He manages to go through one date with a particularly pretty girl without mentioning his son and he thinks it's going well until the girl throws a disdainful look at a single mother with a crying baby and says she doesn't understand how anyone would want to spend time with a creature that can't think like a proper person.

Then there's the guy who at the mention of Stiles seems way too happy. And when he starts to tell Scott about how he plans to dress him for their wedding, Scott excuses himself and leaves. He picks up Stiles at Danny's, and decides to swing by the supermarket in order to get stuff for dinner.

And by "stuff" he meant some frozen lasagna or pizza because his mother wouldn't allow him to try much else.

"You think uncle Danny could give you one of his boyfriends?" Stiles asks, loudly. "I mean, he has two."

Once Stiles started talking he never stopped, Scott thinks. It was like opening the floodgates.

"I think Uncle Danny would be sad if I took one of his boyfriends," Scott says absent-mindedly as he lets go of Stiles' hand to look at the ingredient list of a can of soup.

His first clue should've been Stiles' lack of answer right then. Stiles had a way of insisting until he got what he wanted or a candy to keep him quiet. But he missed that first clue which means that by the time he noticed Stiles was gone it was too late.

"SON OF A-"

"Daaaaaaaad!"

Scott is running before he knows where he's supposed to be running to. He finds Stiles two aisles away in the cereal section and he almost faints when he recognizes the guy in front of him. The guy who, apparently, just got his shin kicked by his son.

"Stiles!" Scott says, trying to keep the panic off his voice. Stiles looks at him, grabs a cereal box that had fallen between the two of them and runs to hide behind his father. 

"He was about to take the last box of Reese's cereal!"

"I had it first you brat!" the guy yells. And if Scott jumps it's only because he doesn't know the exact procedure after your five year old son has kicked a werewolf.

He wasn't sure which werewolf it was, the Hales were a large family and Scott had really only ever met Cora, one of the younger daughters, at school. They kept mostly to themselves but were very much involved in making sure the people of Beacon Hills and the three other towns in their territory were safe from other weres. Stiles' dad had been friendly with Talia, the pack alpha.

Scott takes a calming breath, remembering no one has ever been attacked by weres and turns to Stiles. "Did the man take the box first, Stiles?"

Stiles instantly looks down and nods.

"Then I think you need to give it back and apologize," Scott says.

Stiles looks at the box and then hands it to Scott. "You give it to him and say I'm sorry."

Scott hears the guy snort and looks back at him. He's much closer now and there's a playful smirk on his face. "Great job teaching your little brother some manners, kid."

Scott feels his face flush. He's young looking enough that most people assume Stiles is his brother, that doesn't bother him, but he has been making sure Stiles is well-behaved.

"He's probably just intimidated by you," Scott answers. "Son, we're still waiting on that apology."

Stiles looks at his dad pleadingly but Scott gives him his best "I'm serious" look. He turns to the man and frowns, stepping forward and handing him the box of cereal.

"I'm sorry," he mutters.

"Apology accepted," the guy says. "You can go ahead and keep it. I'll just drive by another supermarket and look for one."

Stiles beams and looks at his dad. "Are you sure? We could also look elsewhere. Or get another kind of cereal."

"No we couldn't!" Stiles yells, affronted.

The guy laughs and Scott can feel himself melting a little inside. "It's fine. I'm Derek, by the way."

Derek extends his hand and Scott takes it. His handshake is firm and Scott can't help but notice how strong his hands look.

"I'm Scott," he says, suddenly very self conscious. Derek is taller than him and looks like he's built. Scott is proud of his athletic body but he's basically just lucky his metabolism is the kind that makes it easy to have abs.

"Aren't you the kid that helps Deaton?"

Scott's taken aback for a second and then he remembers Deaton is the Hales' emissary. Usually when someone from the pack goes to see him Scott is left in charge.

"Yeah, that's me," Scott says.

"I knew I had seen you around before," Derek says, but before he can continue Scott feels his sleeve being pulled.

"Daaaad! Let's go!" Stiles says, frowning at Derek.

"Your kid seems to be getting restless," Derek says. "I'll see you around."

Before Scott can say anything Derek has turned around and is already walking away. He takes Stiles' hand and walks back to where he left his shopping cart, hoping it will still be there.

"You shouldn't go around kicking people," Scott admonishes. "Derek was nice but others might not be."

"I'm sorry," Stiles says again. They reach the aisle where Scott was before and he's happy to see his cart is still there. He also notices Derek standing by it, looking at his shopping cart and frowning.

"Hey," Scott says, putting the cereal in the cart. "Long time, no see."

His joke and goofy smile are obviously not appreciated. Instead, Derek looks from the cart to Stiles to Scott and his frown deepens.

"Do you live on frozen food?" Derek asks. His tone isn't particularly nice.

Scott blushes, embarrassed because he knows he should be trying to get healthier things for Stiles but also angry at Derek's tone. "What I live on isn't any of your business," he mutters.

"Do you at least have healthier breakfast options? You can't just give a kid cereal every day," Derek goes on.

"My mom usually makes breakfast," Scott says. "This is just for the weekend and… Why am I even explaining this to you?"

He turns to the canned soup and takes several, putting them in the cart and then reaching for canned pasta Stiles likes. He sees Derek's eyes land on them and suddenly he's too angry not to say anything.

"Yes, ok? I know it's not the healthiest thing. Is there anything else you'd like to judge or are we done here?"

Derek looks at him, surprised. He's about to answer but then Stiles punches his thigh. "Stop making daddy angry!"

Derek's eyes glow blue and Stiles instantly runs to hide behind Scott.

"Excellent job you're doing there," Derek says. "He'll be a great delinquent one day."

Oh, he is done. Derek may be the hottest guy he's ever met but that doesn't give him the right to say that.

"You don't talk about my son like that!" Scott says firmly. "You don't know him, you don't know me, and you don't get to act all high and mighty with me just because I can't be a good father to him!"

Scott had meant to say "a perfect father", but as he catches his mistake he looks down at the shopping cart and he feels very much like crap. It's all frozen food, canned stuff, and boxes of macaroni & cheese. He knows his mom buys actual groceries and cooks actual food for them but that doesn't make him feel better, it just makes him feel like he's failing so hard at being a dad his mom has to pick up the slack.

He feels the sting of tears at the same time he feels Derek's hand on his shoulder and he slaps it away. In a second he's got Stiles in his arms and is walking away from Derek because he's not going to give him the benefit of seeing how he affected him.

Some people look at him weird as he exits the store. He goes to his car and opens the door so Stiles can get in, trying to ignore his complaints about how they left the last cereal box in the store when he hears Derek's voice again.

"Hey, wait," Derek says, stopping a couple of feet away from him.

"What? You're gonna diss my car, too?" Scott said, wiping his face. He did not want Derek to see the effect he had had on him.

"I'm really sorry," Derek mutters. "I shouldn't have said any of those things."

"My dad wants you to go away!" Stiles yells, but thankfully this time Scott stops him before he goes and tries to harm Derek. Not that a five year old human could do much to a werewolf.

"Get in the car, Stiles," Scott says. "Please," he adds when Stiles shoots him an incredulous look.

"He made you cry, daddy! He's a bad man!" Stiles says and Scott's heart almost beats out of his heart at seeing how badly Stiles is shaken up at seeing him like this.

"Listen, I am really, really sorry and if you let me make it up to you, I will," Derek says, stepping closer. He eyes Stiles warily and Scott can't help but mentally cheer for his boy.

"I don't need you to make up for anything," Scott says, and he's thankful that his voice doesn't sound like he's about to cry anymore. "Apology accepted, ok? I just want to get home now."

"If you wait a bit they'll bring your groceries. Well, what you had in the cart, anyway."

Scott looks confused.

"I told them to charge it on my card. I feel it's the least I could do after…"

After I made you run out like an idiot. Scott thinks.

"Besides, I could hear Stiles screaming for his cereal all the way over here," Derek says, grinning. "I figure if he's willing to kick someone five times his size for it, he's more than earned it."

Scott laughs at that and feels Derek relax in front of him. Stiles is eerily quiet, looking at Derek like he's a snake that could strike at any moment.

"Thanks," Scott says. "I'm sorry he acted that way."

"Don't worry, I just have one question though." Derek takes another step closer and Scott has to look up to meet him in the eye.

"Is it his name? Everyone asks about it. It's just that his real name is kind of hard to pronounce and-"

"Can I take you to dinner?" Derek interrupts him. Scott freezes and looks at him weirdly.

"Is that a thing you do? Act like an asshole before asking someone on a date?"

"Only at the supermarket," Derek answers. "But my offer stands. Are you free tomorrow night?"

"I'd have to see if anyone can take care of Stiles," Scott says. "And you'd have to promise to be way nicer."

"I promise," Derek says. Scott's groceries arrive at that moment and he takes them from one of the supermarket employees. Once everything is in the trunk and Stiles is safely in his chair he turns to Derek.

"You don't have to do anything, you know?" Scott says. "I just overreacted and you already apologized."

"I want to," Derek says, taking out a business card from his wallet. "This is my phone number. Just text me what time is good for you, I'll pick you up."

Scott looks at the card, it's plain white and only has Derek's name and number on it.

"Ok," Scott nods, smiling. Derek smiles at that and Scott stares a little too long at his eyes. Are they green or blue?

A knock on the window from inside the car distracts him and he hears Stiles yell that he wants to go now. He says goodbye to Derek and gets in the car.

"I don't like him," Stiles says, his arms crossed.

"I think we should give him a chance," Scott answers, turning on the car.

"You just say that because you want him to kiss you," Stiles complains.

Scott's ears turn pink.

\-----

The next day Scott call his babysitter, arranges for her to arrive at four and texts Derek. Stiles has made it clear he does not want to go to bed without a bedtime story so he plans to be back at around eight. It's a Sunday so Stiles needs to go to bed early.

Ten minutes before five, the babysitter calls to say she won't be able to make it because she broke her toe. Scott tells her not to worry, hangs up, looks at the time, and panics.

He doesn't know any other babysitter willing to give up a Sunday (even for double pay) and he knows his friends had plans for the evening. He realizes it's a lost cause and is about to call Derek to cancel when the doorbell rings. He looks at the time and sees it's five minutes after five.

He walks by the living room where Stiles is watching some TV and opens the door. Derek's there looking unbelievably handsome with a button down, light blue shirt, jeans, and his leather jacket. His smile at seeing Scott makes it even more difficult for him to deliver the bad news.

"Wow, you look good," Derek comments. Scott smiles. His mother had helped him choose what to wear and the result (black short sleeved button down shirt, black jeans, and red jacket) did look nice.

"Thanks," he says. "Hey, I'm really sorry but my babysitter had an emergency and cancelled on me. Think we can raincheck for sometime next week?"

Scott's ready to see Derek get angry at him for making him drive all the way to his house. Instead, Derek looks very disappointed before looking at him with resolve in his eyes.

"Well, if you don't mind me taking over the kitchen, I could make dinner for you and Stiles," he offers.

It's the "and Stiles" that makes Scott's heart miss a beat. It's the first time one of his dates has acknowledged his son.

"That'd be great! But, uh, I don't have much to work with," Scott's suddenly embarrassed. Derek probably didn't plan on having frozen lasagna for dinner. Considering how he was looking at it just yesterday, he probably despised the stuff.

"Well, if you show me the kitchen I can see what I have to work with," Derek says. Scott moves so he can come in and leads him to the kitchen. Stiles sees them and frowns. Scott mouth at him "be good".

Derek opens the fridge and some cabinets, expression blank. He turns to Scott with a sly grin on his face. "Are you up for some mac and cheese?"

"I thought you didn't like the box stuff," Scott says.

"It's ok for when you're in a hurry but I was actually planning to make it from scratch," Derek says. He takes out his phone and calls for someone to bring him several ingredients, Scott's not sure who would deliver sharp cheddar cheese on a Sunday afternoon.

"My dad runs a deli," Derek explains after he hangs up. "He can bring the stuff I need here and then dinner can be my treat, like I promised."

"You don't have to go through the trouble," Scott says. "We can just order out if you want."

Derek looks at Scott curiously. "You're worried Stiles won't like what I cook."

It's not a question, and Scott merely gapes. "Can werewolves read minds or something?"

Derek laughs, and Scott might be a little distracted by how his whole face transforms into an expression of joy when he does.

"No, but we learn to read body language better plus we can pick up cues from your scent," Derek explained.

"You can smell what I'm worried about?" Scott asks, even more confused.

Derek laughs again. "You're very expressive. Makes it easier to guess."

They sit at opposite sides of the kitchen table and Scott asks several questions he had about werewolves. Derek answers most of them. When Derek suddenly says he can hear his brother's car Scott thinks he's joking but the doorbell rings right away. Scott follows Derek to open door, since it's his house and all, and can't say much besides a sheepish "hi" to Derek's dad. The man is like an older, bulkier version of Derek but with brown eyes.

Derek pretty much slams the door in his dad's face once he's got the stuff. "I had to get rid of him before he said something embarrassing," he explains.

"Wait a minute, if your mom's the alpha, what does that make your dad?" Scott asks.

"Well, the mate of the alpha gets the title of alpha consort, usually," Derek explains. "But that's only for official meetings with other packs. In our family we just call him dad."

After that Derek sets the ingredients on the kitchen table and once Scott has helped him find what utensils he needs, he gets cooking. When Scott offers help Derek tells him he doesn't need to do anything but watch and keep him entertained with conversation.

"You're really comfortable in the kitchen," Scott observes. "Are you a chef?"

"No, I've just always helped my dad cook for the pack," Derek explains. "My actual work is translations."

Scott can't help but be amazed at how Derek can keep a conversation and look graceful while cooking at the same time. Whenever Scott's cooking he needs to devote his full attention to what he's doing or disasters happen.

Not that disasters don't happen when he is paying full attention to what he's doing.

"What are your plans?" Derek asks. "Are you taking over after Deaton? He seems to like you enough to do that."

"He's a great guy and he's been awesome to me but I want to work healing and rehabilitating wildlife," Scott says.

Derek's about to answer but instead he turns towards the door, where Stiles is standing with a pout on his face.

"Hey, kiddo," Scott says. "Everything ok?"

"What is he cooking?" Stiles says, walking over to hug Scott's leg.

"It's a surprise," Derek says before Scott can answer.

Stiles looks at him and glares, but Derek's too busy putting the mac and cheese in the over to notice.

"Why don't you help me set the table?" Scott says, standing up. Stiles reluctantly agrees, but he makes it pretty clear he wants to use his Spider Man plate and cup. Derek snorts as he sees the boy making sure both the plate and the cup are exactly the way he wants them.

He goes with Stiles to wash up and he feels nervous. He likes Derek but if Stiles doesn't then there's no way that can work. He wants to ask him but he's afraid a negative answer would ruin dinner.

When they come back into the kitchen Derek's taking the baking dish out of the oven. Scott and Stiles sit around the breakfast table and Derek serves. He places some celery sticks and baby carrots on the table, too.

"Well, dig in," Derek says once he's seated. Stiles takes a bite, chews, and then smiles widely at his dad. He goes on eating happily.

"Oh my god," Scott says as he tastes it. "This is amazingly good."

Derek smiles. "Stiles seems to like it, too."

Stiles nods and hums happily. He's never been a fussy eater but Scott was worried that the fact Derek was cooking would make him throw a tantrum or something.

Much to Scott's surprise, Stiles even asks for seconds. He doesn't even complain when Derek tells him he needs to eat some celery and carrots before he can have more. He finishes up a second, smaller portion and seems ready to pass out.

"Come on, let's get you clean and ready for bed," Scott says. He looks at Derek apologetically but before he can say anything Derek is up and clearing the table.

"You get him to bed," he says. "I'll clean up here before getting out of your hair."

Scott takes Stiles upstairs and fills the bathtub, making sure the water's not too hot. Stiles doesn't need as much help cleaning up anymore but he still expects Scott to stay nearby. Usually Scott uses this time to shave, but today that's already taken care of.

"Did you like dinner tonight with Derek?" Scott asks.

"Yeah!" Stiles says, smiling widely. "Don't tell Melissa, but I think he cooks better."

"I've told you to call her grandma," Scott says.

"But Melissa is her name," Stiles says. "Can I have more tomorrow?"

"Sure." There were a lot of leftovers.

Once his bath is done, Scott helps Stiles dries himself and sends him off to his room. He tells him to get to bed and wait for him.

"Are you coming to read with me?" Stiles yells from his room.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he answers.

He walks down to the kitchen where Derek has already left it spotless.

"You could've left the dishes for me to wash," Scott says. "You already made dinner."

"Hey, one less thing for you to worry about," Derek says. "Next time I can take you out and then no one has to worry about dishes."

Scott smiles. "There'll be a next time?"

"Sure," Derek says, stepping closer. "If you want to."

Scott blushes as Derek takes another step closer. His eyes wander down to his lips and Scott's about ready to close the gap between them when Stiles ruins the mood.

"Daaaaaaaad!" Stiles yells. It startles the both of them. "Coming!" Scott yells back.

"Bedtime story time is now, apparently," Derek says.

"Yeah," Scott mumbles. "It was great having you. And dinner was great. And you're great. Thank you."

"So you don't think I'm an asshole anymore?" Derek asks.

"Nope, not at all," Scott states.

He walks him to the door and they say goodbye with a hug. After Stiles sleeps in the middle of reading Harry Potter, Scott goes back to his room and finds a text from Derek that reads: "I owe you that kiss."

\-----

"Who are you texting?" his mom asks the nest Tuesday as she makes dinner. Chicken and vegetables.

"Oh, just a friend," Scott answers.

She gives him her "You still think you can lie to me?" look.

"Ok, he's a guy," Scott says.

"A guy?" Melissa echoes. "Just 'a guy'."

"He's the guy who made the mac and cheese," Scott elaborates.

"I knew it," she says. "I need details Scott. Please tell me my future son in law is cute."

"I don't think you can call him that after just one dinner date."

"Can I get a name, at least? Do I know him?" Scott smiles at his mom. She seems so happy.

"He's Derek Hale," Scott says.

Melissa turns around, her eyes wide. "He's a werewolf!?"

Scott instantly worries. "Yeah, I mean, I think most Hales are."

Melissa takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I did not mean for that to sound the way it sounded."

Stiles chooses that moment to come in singing at the top of his lungs. He wraps his arms around Melissa's leg.

"Did he like, you know?" Melissa asks, petting Stiles' hair.

"He seemed ok with him, at least," Scott says. Melissa's smile somehow manages to become even bigger. Scott hands the utensils to Stiles and they set the table.

"When are you seeing him again?" she asks as they sit down to eat.

"He's supposed to take me out on Friday." When he sees his mom's worried face he adds hastily. "Allison is taking him for the night, don't worry."

"She's gonna teach me how to shoot arrows!" Stiles said excitedly as he mimes drawing a bow. "I can be Katniss!"

\-----

On Friday, Derek comes over to the clinic while Scott is cleaning cages. When he sees him, his first thought is to hide because he looks like he's been handling excrement for hours.

Which makes sense because cage cleaning at a ver does involve some excrement.

"Hey," Derek says. "I'm gonna have to change plans on you tonight."

Scott knows he's doing the "puppy eyes" Allison mentions because Derek is quickly and nervously apologizing.

"No, no, no, I'm not canceling," Derek says. "I forgot my nieces' birthday party is today. I'm inviting you and Stiles."

"Oh," Scott says, smiling again. "Well, I need to ask Deaton if I can leave early."

"You can, I already talked to him. I'll text you the address, just come over after school," Derek says. "And don't worry about getting a present, I already got one for you."

Derek leaves without saying goodbye, obviously in a hurry. Deaton come in and looks at him curiously.

Scott smiles, unsure of what to do. Deaton just chuckles and goes on to meet some clients that just walked in.

\-----

Scott thought Stiles would be happy to go the party, and at first he was, but as they near the part of the park where the Hales are gathered, he's obviously becoming more and more nervous.

"They are big kids, dad!" he whispers.

"They're not much older than you," Scott says back. Derek's seen him (probably heard them, too) and he's walking towards them.

Stiles smiles shyly at Derek and waves. Then he freezes in what can only be pure terror. Derek even looks behind him to see if Stiles is staring at anything other than him. He's there kneeling in front of Stiles quickly.

"What's wrong, Stiles?"

Stiles shifts nervously. He whispers as low as he can. "I'm really sorry I kicked you."

Derek laughs loudly and picks up Stiles with ease while he hugs Scott with his other arm. "I think your son thinks my werewolf family is gonna eat him."

"Well, he's got the chubby cheeks. Those are probably tender."

"Daaaaaad!" Stiles is half panicking and half delighted at being picked up by Derek.

"Come on, let me introduce you," Derek says.

There are a lot of people. Derek's parents, his two older siblings and three younger ones. The birthday girl, Erica, is the daughter of Laura, the oldest of the bunch. There's also several cousins and aunts and uncles and people from a visiting pack. There's also a lot of children. From babies to teenagers and Stiles, who demanded to be carried by Scott, seems very, very intimidated.

Derek invites Scott to sit besides him at the table where his parents are sitting and he doubts for a second. This makes Derek's mother smile.

"Calm down," she says. "Sitting with the alpha of a pack shouldn't be that big of a deal, anyway."

"Thanks, umm…" Scott again doubts.

"Call me Talia," she says.

He sits down and Stiles takes the place between him and Derek. Talia looks at him and her smile fades a little.

"He's got the late sheriff's hair," she says. Scott remembers the Sheriff had actually been close to the Hales. Laura was even in the department with him.

"And Claudia's eyes," Derek's father, Alex, adds.

"I'm really sorry," Scott says. "I know John was a friend of yours."

"We're all sorry," Talia says. "But now's not the time for talk like this. We have a lot of food to eat!"

Scott had at first though the amount of food was a bit excessive, even for a family barbecue, but apparently werewolves do eat more than the average human. The conversation in their table turns to more mundane things. Scott talks about his job and about Stiles. He learns Derek is fluent in five languages. Stiles is barely done with his food when Erica appears, hugging Alex.

"Thanks, grandpa! I love my party!" she yells, excitedly.

"Well, you should also thank your aunt Denisse and uncle Peter. They helped, you know?"

"Ok!" she grins widely before turning to Stiles. "What's your name?"

Stiles looks down to his lap. Scott's never seen him so nervous.

"I'm Stiles," he answers in a low mutter.

"We're gonna play pack wars," Erica says. "You want to be on my team?"

Stiles looks at his dad, who simply smiles. That's all Stiles need before getting up from the table while yelling "Thanks for the food!"

"Are," Scott starts, he does not want to sound like his mother sounded a few days ago. "Are all the kids werewolves?"

"Relax," Derek says, putting an arm around him. "And no. Peter's oldest is human, like his mom. But don't worry, he'll be ok."

Scott smiles at Derek and all of a sudden all he can think about is that kiss he's owed. The yelling of the kids distract him and he's looking back, searching for Stiles among the other kids.

"How do you play pack wars, anyway?" Scott asks.

"Well, you have three or four teams, usually," Derek starts.

"Sometimes there's two, but that's boring," Alex says.

"And then you choose one or two omegas per team. Every team has to protect their omega from being kidnapped by the other team and if the omega gets kidnapped, they need to rescue him. If one team manages to capture the omegas of all the other teams without having their omega captured, they win."

Scott could see how the kids were organizing themselves. The older kids were deciding where the base of each team was. Erica was right there with them, making sure she got the most advantage out of the field.

"That girl's a natural alpha," Talia said fondly.

The kids were now all gathering together and dividing into teams. Stiles was chosen into Erica's team pretty quickly. Once the teams were set, four of them with about seven kids each, they all went to their bases. The game started and a lot of running and screaming started.

Erica and an older kid were at Stiles' side, telling him to run and protecting him from people coming at him.

"Wow," Alex said. "Erica chose Stiles to be omega."

Scott looked up at that, worried. Derek tightened his arm around him. "Don't worry, it's actually one of the safest positions to play. Harming the opponent's omegas is against the rules."

Scott relaxed at that, but kept on looking at the game.

"Well, it makes sense she chose Stiles, then," Scott said. "Right?"

Alex and Talia shared a weird look. Scott didn't have time to think about that, he heard Stiles yell and turned around immediately. A tall girl from the other team was tickling him and counting.

"She needs to do that and count to three," Derek explained. "After that the omega needs to get on her back and unless someone stops her, he's trapped."

"Can he try to run away?" Scott asks.

"Sure," Derek says. "But only if the guard or guards don't tap him before he leaves their base."

The tall girl was taken by two kids from the third team. Soon Stiles was on one of their backs being taken to the other base. His team rescued him and he was soon running back to his base, Erica and his team running back with him with one of the other omegas with them.

"It looks like it's really hard to win this game," Scott comments. 

"It is," Derek says, flat. "Usually no one does."

Derek moves his arms so instead of half hugging Scott he's holding his hand.

"I'm really glad you came," Derek says.

"I'm really glad you invited us," Scott answers.

"Any chance you can get a babysitter tomorrow night? As much as I like Stiles there are things we can't do when he's around."

"Especially," his mother admonishes. "At your niece's birthday party."

Scott laughs and he moves to be closer to Derek. He's warm and and soft and his eyes do amazing things in the afternoon sun.

"Pick me up at six," Scott says. "I'll get my mom to cover for me."

They smile at each other for a second before Scott looks back to see Stiles pinning a boy about Erica's age with dark skin. Surprised, he turns to Derek.

"I think Stiles just beat that one kid," he says. The people at the table look.

"Ah, no," Derek says, smiling. "You see, there's this thing puppies do. When their wrestling with other boys, they try to win, but when it's with girl puppies they let them win so that they get to know them better."

"But Stiles isn't a girl," Scott says. "And they're not really old enough to be flirting."

"It's not flirting," Alex says. "It's pack bonding."

Scott doesn't fully understand, but it seems harmless enough. The game goes on and Scott ends up moving with Derek to another table where all of Derek's brothers and sisters are sitting. Laura is the oldest and her husband, Daniel, is an imposing werewolf Scott thinks would be 7 feet tall if he stood up. Alex Jr is next, and he helps their dad at the deli he owns and will probably inherit it once their dad retires. Then Derek, then Alan, who's recently married. His wife's name is Abigail and she's six months pregnant. Then there's Gabriel, who Scott knew from school since he was a year above him and finally Cora. Scott also knew her from school since she was a year under him.

They talk for a while until Laura yells it's time for cake. There's pandemonium as older cousins and some aunts and uncles help the kids wash up from their game on a large outdoor sink. Scott walks to Stiles, but he's already clean. The older uncle who helped him introduces himself as Peter.

"Your kid's got a lot of stamina," he says. "Most human kids tire soon when playing with weres."

"That's my Stiles," Scott says proudly, "the human rocket boy."

They see Stiles run after the other children, Boyd waits for him and runs at his pace so they're the last to arrive at the table. Erica's watching in awe as her grandfather lights seven pink candles on a large chocolate cake with bright red icing.

They're singing happy birthday when Scott and Peter reach the table. He takes Derek's hand and the older werewolf turns to him with a beaming smile.

"Are you sure you should be giving sugar to these kids?" Scott asks. "They'll be playing pack wars until midnight."

Derek laughs and pulls Scott into a tight hug. "Any chance we can get your mom to babysit tonight?" he asks "I really want to spend time with you alone."

Scott blushes. "Allison might still be free," Scott mutter, immediately taking his phone out to text her.

\-----

Stiles is already asleep when Scott drops him off at Allison's. She coos over him and tells Scott not to worry, since Lydia's out of town she just planned to have him on their bed watching movies.

He goes to his house for a quick shower and change of clothes. Derek had said he would pick him up so as he finishes dressing up he's just glancing nervously at his cell phone. Finally there's a text from Derek asking him to go outside.

Scott dashes, stopping at the door in an attempt to not look like a enamored teenager. He opens the door and steps out to find Derek leaning against his Camaro wearing black dress pants and black shirt. Scott almost drools at the sight.

Derek steps forward to meets Scott in a hug. Scott can only sigh as he feels Derek's strong arms around him. Then Derek whispers in his ear.

"Can I give you that kiss I owe you now?"

Scott nods and in a flash Derek's mouth is on his. Tender and firm at the same time. Scott knew he liked for other people to take charge (even when he briefly dated Allison it only worked because of her decidedly dominant personality) but Derek was something else. Derek claimed Scott with his whole being. When they stopped kissing Scott held on tighter to him, taking a deep breath and recognizing cologne and a deep musky scent he instantly fell in love with.

"Come on," Derek says, leading him to the passenger side of the Camaro. "We need to get out of here before I decide I'd rather take you inside and have you for dinner."

Scott laughs at that, turning kiss Derek's cheek. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not that easy."

Derek took him to a really nice restaurant (only so I can show off my French to you, Derek had said). Scott let Derek suggest several dishes before settling on ordering some fancy seafood one. They drank wine and for dessert Derek insisted he should try a chocolate crème brûlée that came with a raspberry sauce and Scott instantly fell in love with it.

Derek stares at him as he finished the dessert. Scott notices.

"What?" he asks.

"I'm just wondering if I can get the same moans out of you," Derek says.

"I don't know, man," Scott says. "I mean, you look delicious so yeah, probably. But we can ask for some of this raspberry sauce and I'll put some on you just to make sure."

Derek growled low at that, the sound went directly to Scott's dick.

"Any chance I can take you to my place before you have to pick up Stiles?"

Scott looked at his watch. It was almost eleven and he had promised Allison to pick Stiles up by midnight.

"I do have some time," Scott says. "I would just really like it if our first time isn't that rushed, you know?"

The disappointment in Derek's face is obvious, but he nods and smiles. "I'm really sorry about how our first meeting went."

Scott shakes his head.

"No, let me finish," Derek goes on. "I'm sorry I was so judgmental. It's just that I saw you, this amazingly hot guy with a gutsy kid, and my first instinct was want to protect you. You're a great dad and I'm really grateful that you're giving me the chance to get to know you guys.

"I just wanted to tell you that I understand Stiles comes first to you. I understand that dating for you is different and I'm more than willing to give you and Stiles the space and time you need. I don't want to rush into anything either."

Scott gapes, speechless.

"I-" he starts. "I'm just really happy you didn't turn out to be an asshole."

Derek raises an eyebrow at him. "I go all romantic on you and that's the best you can come up with?"

"I'm sorry! You have really pretty eyes and they make me nervous," Scott says defensively.

Derek laughs and they look at each other for a whole minute, smiling.

"Come on," Derek says, "let's pay so I can make out with you in my car before giving you back to your son."

\-----

Their dates end up being having Derek over to cook dinner more often than not. Stiles is warming up to him quickly and Melissa doesn't stop mentioning how handsome he is. Even when Scott's blushing furiously while asking her to stop. 

It's only a couple of weeks but things seems right. More than right even. Derek seems to have found a place in their lives so neatly it surprises him. Scott was only looking for an excuse to have his mom meet Derek's parents.

It's because everything seems to be going so well that it's a surprise when the one night they can go out by themselves to watch a movie Derek seems distant.

Scott manages to ignore it while they watch the movie, but after it when Derek simply offers to drive him home, he's more than a little hurt.

"Do you want to have dinner or something before that?" Scott asks. He puts on his seat belt.

"If you're hungry we can go somewhere," Derek replies, tone dry.

"I am hungry but I also want to spend time with you," Scott says as Derek turns on the car.

"We've spent a lot of time together this week, Scott," Derek seems nonchalant.

"But not alone," Scott protests. "Are you angry with me?" He hates how vulnerable he sounds.

"Look, I'm sorry," Derek says and Scott thinks that's it. The illusion is over. Derek will finally tell him it was fun to play house for a bit but now he wants to get back to a life where he doesn't have a bumbling single dad and hyperactive kid to annoy him day in and day out. 

Derek sighs, or rather breathes deeply and Scott knows he's smelling for clues. He hates how Derek seems to always know what he's thinking.

"Stop that," Scott says. "Just tell me what's going on."

"I just- it's hard to explain. I really like being with you, Scott." Derek turns off the car.

"Are you giving me the 'let's be friends' speech?" Scott asks.

"No! No, no, no!" Derek quickly moves to cup Scott's face with his hands and kiss him. "I'm sorry, I've been an ass today. I'm distracted."

"With what?" Scott asks, calmer now that he can feel Derek's hands on him.

"Wolf things," Derek says, obviously deflecting.

"Is everything okay with your pack?" Scott asks.

"Yeah, yeah," Derek mutters. "That reminds me, what are you guys doing for Thanksgiving?"

Scott shrugs, it's still more than a week away. "My mom usually asks for the day off and we have a small dinner. Last year we had duck since a turkey's kind of too much for the three of us."

Scott doesn't say that they make a point to avoid any and all interactions with his dad's family, and that they also promise next year they will finally visit Melissa's family in central Mexico.

"My mom says you can come over," Derek says. "That came out wrong. I told my mom we should invite you guys over for Thanksgiving and she was delighted. I think you should make plans to come because you're pretty much already expected to be there and I'd hate to see Vernon's face if I tell him Stiles won't be there."

The turmoil of feeling Scott had a moment ago calms down. They're making plans. Plans for thanksgiving, even. Things are good.

"Stop calling him Vernon, you know he hates it," Scott says.

"I'm not calling my nephew by his last name," Derek says. "And you didn't answer."

"Of course we'll spend Thanksgiving with you guys," Scott says, grinning wide. "My mom said you'd ask."

Derek smirks. "She is a very smart woman, your mom."

Scott raises an eyebrow, trying to look like Derek looks when he knows he's making Scott weak in the knees. "She also said if I decided to stay over at your place, she'd deal with Stiles in the morning."

Derek's grin changes into a look a pure lust. "Come on, you're gonna need food if you're gonna keep up with your werewolf boyfriend tonight."

Scott smiles. "That's the first time you've said you're my boyfriend," he teases. Derek leans over and kisses Scott's ear softly.

"If you let me I'll be saying it for a long time," Derek whispers, his mouth so close to Scott's ear and his breath so warm Scott can only turn to kiss him. The kiss is slow, gentle and when it ends Scott bares his neck in submission. Derek growls approvingly and nuzzles him.

Dinner is a simple affair. They go to Derek's favorite pizza place where Scott eats two slices and Derek four. From there they walk to Derek's apartment which is only a block away. It was mostly used for his work, since he usually spent nights at his parent's place, but it was fully furnished.

Derek's place is neat, tidy. Perfectly organized. The living room and kitchen areas are decorated minimally. His study has some clutter and it's obvious it's the area of the apartment that sees the most activity. The bedroom is large, with a huge TV in front of the bed and a ridiculous sound system.

"This is such a bachelor's pad," Scott teases, standing at the bedroom doorway.

Derek hugs him from behind and buries his nose in his hair. "You should come here more often," he says, "bring Stiles. I'd like it if it looked less like a bachelor's pad."

Scott turns and kisses Derek. The older man moves them to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt in the process. Scott moves his hands to feel Derek's skin and he gasps as he feels the hard muscle under the soft skin. Derek growls softly and Scott understands it as the command it is. He helps Derek out of his shirt and kisses his chest and abs before kneeling in front of him.

Derek caresses Scott's face, pulling his chin up so he meets his glowing blue eyes. 

"What do you want?" Derek asks.

"You," Scott says, firm.

"Be specific," Derek continues.

"I want to suck you off," Scott says. 

Derek growls approvingly. "Is that it?"

Scott shakes his head, but he doesn't say anything after that. Derek waits for him to find his voice again.

"I don't know what I want after that," Scott says. "I just know I want you."

I want you to mark me, is what Scott doesn't say. He's afraid Derek will bolt if he realizes just how much he wants for Derek to be with him. He's also afraid Derek will take offense at him fetishizing the werewolf aspect of their relationship so much.

Derek's thumb traces over Scott's lips and Scott takes it in his mouth, sucking lightly. Derek uses his other hand to undo his belt and Scott's hands are immediately there, clumsily helping him to open his jeans and bring down his underwear to reveal his dick.

Derek's uncut and big, but not pornstar big. He's also almost fully erect and beautiful. Derek moves his hand to the back of Scott's head, not pushing. The younger man buries his face in Derek's crotch and sniffs before taking his balls into his mouth and sucking. 

Derek only grunts, but Scott can start to tell which grunts are hints he's doing a good job. The moan that escapes his lips when he teases the head of his cock with his tongue makes him eager to do more. 

Derek places a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You need to have a lot less clothes on you," he says, voice deep with lust. Scott stands and undresses quickly, stopping to stare at Derek's nude body. Derek smirks smugly pushing Scott towards the bed. "Come on, I want to fuck that pretty face of yours."

Scott lies down so that Derek can straddle him and present his cock again. Scott does his best efforts to bring as much pleasure to him as Derek pumps in and out of Scott's mouth slowly and firmly. Scott has one hand on Derek's ass and the other on his cock. He moves his hand to touch his sensitive hole and moans.

"Hey, that's my job," Derek notices, but Scott simply rolls his eyes. Derek laughs and reaches for the lube in his dresser drawer. He moves so he can kiss Scott, deep and slow, before putting the lube in his hands and grinning.

"Open yourself up for me," he says.

"Didn't you say that was your job?" Scott complains. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna watch," Derek says, standing up crossing his arms.

Scott huffs, but decides to step up to the challenge. He turns around to lie on his belly and spreads his knees as far as they'll go before turning around to see Derek staring at his exposed ass. He squeezes lube into his hand and starts feeling the skin around his hole.

"You're gonna want to hurry up," Derek says. Scott shakes his head.

"I think I'm gonna take my time," Scott answers. "You seem to like the view, anyway."

Derek chuckles and moves forward to kiss Scott's thighs, dragging his stubble through the skin.

"You think I can't play that game?" He says. "You think I can't make you beg me to fuck you?"

Scott has a finger in his ass, but the angle's awkward and Derek's firm hands on him only make him think of having Derek do this.

"You're an asshole," Scott says, hissing as he puts a second finger in his ass. Too soon.

"Here," Derek says, taking Scott's hand guiding it back to the bed. He presses himself on Scott's back and mouths at his neck before taking the lube from him. "Let me help you with that."

Derek's slow, careful, methodical. He switches from kissing Scott to looking at him to see his reactions as he fingers him open. The sensations for Scott are such that he feels time slow down. He almost doesn't understand when Derek asks him to turn over.

"I want to see your face when I'm inside you," Derek goes on when Scott doesn't immediately move. "Please."

Scott nods and does as he's told. Derek's strong hands push his thighs and Scott pulls down Derek to kiss him. Derek lets go to put on a condom and fully lubricate his cock and stares fixedly at Scott as he pushes inside.

Scott moans loudly, closing his eyes and pulling his head back. "That's perfect, Derek," he says. Before he can say more Derek pushes further in and bends down to kiss Scott's exposed neck, growling softly.

When Derek's all the way in, Scott wraps his arms tightly around Derek and breathes deeply. They kiss and finally Scott lets go, putting his hands on Derek's shoulders and nodding at his questioning face. Derek begins to move slowly.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Scott," Derek says. "So fucking perfect."

Scott only moans loudly in response, moving his hips to receive Derek's thrusts.

"I'm close, Derek," Scott mutters. "I'm so close."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, taking Scott's hard cock in his hand. "Do you want to come?"

Scott nods vigorously and it only takes a few moves from Derek to have him come all over himself in the most powerful orgasm of his life. He clenches around Derek who stops momentarily to feel Scott's orgasm on his dick.

"Come on me," Scott says, voice low and needy. "Please come on me, Derek."

Derek's eyes glow and Scott swears he sees fangs. Derek pulls out and takes the condom off and brings himself over the edge, coming on Scott's stomach and chest. He produces way more cum than Scott, and the smaller man revels in the feel of the warm, sticky fluid on him.

They're both panting, and Scott takes Derek's hand to help him spread both their seeds on his chest. Derek stares as if in a daze and doesn't move until Scott brings finger to his mouth to taste it. He sucks on Scott's shoulder, and he knows he'll ace a huge hickey there the next day but he doesn't care, he's too busy licking Derek's hand clean.

Derek's hard again soon, so Scott sucks him off while they take a shower, swallowing all of his come. Derek jerks him off, whispering sweet nothing in his ear. When they're back in bed, warm under the blankets, Scott happily lets Derek be his big spoon.

\-----

The next morning Derek wakes up Scott with soft kisses on his neck. Scott turns and hugs him tightly.

"I know I told my mom I'd be home for breakfast," Scott whispers, voice still hoarse from sleep, "but I could call her and tell her not to have breakfast until, like, noon."

Derek chuckles. "I don't think Stiles would appreciate that. You sort of promised him I'd be there to make pancakes."

"God," Scott says, burying his face in Derek's chest. "He's probably already up and watching cartoons and waiting for us."

Derek laughs, running his hand through Scott's hair fondly. He manages to get him out of bed and they wash up before heading to Scott's house. Stiles receives them with a pout.

"Melissa said you had a sleepover," he says. "Why didn't you take me?"

"This was a grownup sleepover," Scott says, hugging him tight. "We talked about our bank accounts and ate oysters."

Stiles looks positively scandalizes, he looks at Derek who nods solemnly. "Lots of oysters," he confirms.

Melissa and Derek make breakfast while Scott entertains Stiles. Once they sit down to eat Derek tells Melissa about Thanksgiving and she looks at Scott with her I-told-you-so smirk. It's past noon when Derek excuses himself.

"Family sunday lunch," he explains. "You're very much invited to come."

"Nah, I need to do some chores around here," he says.

They have a long and sweet goodbye kiss.

\-----

The next time they meet it's monday night and Derek's doing the distant act again. Scott and Stiles have dropped by to have dinner at Derek's place. Derek apologizes, says he's busy with an urgent translation, and orders pizza.

"We could get out of your way if that's what you need," Scott offers.

Derek huffs. "If you want to go, go."

Derek probably didn't mean for that to sound as dry as it did. He's obviously tired and he keeps on looking at his computer like it's about to come to life and kick him.

"I- I don't want to go," Scott says. "I just don't want to invade your space if it's a bad time."

Derek seems somehow affected by his words, and not in a good way. The pizza arrives and Derek pays for it. After seeing that Scott and Stiles have plates and napkins he stands to go back to his work.

"You could have a slice with us," Scott asks tentatively.

"Why, so you don't feel so bad when you leave?" Derek asks.

Even Stiles freezes, realizing Derek's tone is weird.

"Well if you're gonna be like that," Scott says, annoyed. "You could've just told us not to bother coming here."

"I'm just saying, if you want to leave so badly-"

"I don't want to leave," Stiles pipes in, nervous and loud. They both stare at him and Derek instantly softens.

"And I don't want you to leave," Derek says. "I- I can eat with you before I keep on working."

They eat together, but it's awkward and Stiles is the only one talking. When they're done Derek excuses himself and gives a kiss on the cheek to both of them before going into his study and closing the door.

An hour later Scott is putting Stiles to sleep on Derek's huge bed. Once he's out he walks to Derek's study and knocks.

"Come in," Derek says.

Scott does so and sees Derek looking even more tired staring at his computer like it's very existence angers him and typing quickly. At the sight he instantly feels he's interrupting.

"Sorry, you're busy, we can talk later," he says.

"Sure," Derek says, and Scott can feel something in that word that's like a small dagger wanting to cut him.

"Why do you get like this with me?" Scott asks, making Derek look up from his work. "It's like, we can have two awesome weeks and all of a sudden you're angry at me for no reason. What did I do?"

Derek drags a hand across his face. "You didn't do anything, Scott," he says, obviously tired.

"Then why do you get like this?" he goes on, his voice far less firm than he'd like it to be.

"It's-" Derek starts.

"A wolf thing," Scott finishes in unison with him. Derek looks at him, surprised, before nodding and looking away.

"It's not the full moon," Scott says. "You always tell me about the full moon. So what is it?"

Derek doesn't answer. They're both quiet for what seems ages, neither looking at each other. When the silence has dragged on for too long Scott sighs and walks out without saying anything.

For a moment he thinks about taking Stiles and going home, but that seems like a dick move so instead he washes his teeth, puts on his pajamas and settles in bed next to Stiles. He's still awake when Derek comes into the bedroom hours later. They look at each other but say nothing.

Derek washes up, changes, and gets in bed. Stiles is between them and Derek softly strokes his forehead before turning and kissing Scott. Scott returns the soft kiss.

"Marry me," Derek whispers. Scott freezes. "I know it's too soon. I know we've only known each other for a couple of months. I know this might make you turn heel and run but every time I'm with you I just think I want this. I want you and Stiles to be here all the time.

"I've been wanting to ask you for a while, because I feel like we belong together. That's why sometimes I get upset, because I feel I'm just being an idiot, wanting too much, too soon."

He takes Scott's hand and kisses it. Scott's thoughts are reeling in his head. He swallows and looks Derek in the eye.

"Derek, I love you," he says. "But this is too soon."

Derek exhales and he seems to deflate a little with it.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere, though," Scott goes on. "How about we give ourselves a year? A year from now, if you ask me again, I'll say yes."

Derek looks at Scott with a mixture of sadness and hope. "A lot can happen in a year."

Scott smiles. "Yeah, but we'll be together so it'll be fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I know the ending here feels kind of abrupt but that's because I felt if I went on I would just go off in a weird direction so I stopped myself.
> 
> Comments and critiques are more than welcome.
> 
> You can follow me here: idratherwewrite.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Scott get the happy ending they deserve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your nice comments on chapter 1. You inspired to write this short continuation which aims to tie some loose ends. I hope you enjoy. :) 
> 
> (There's a violent scene in this part, so consider yourself warned.)

Since Lydia goes with her parents to visit family in the east coast and Allison and her dad usually go with her, they usually spend the weekend before Thanksgiving together by having a sleepover. Danny, Ethan and Aiden are also there, since they're usually in Hawaii for Thanksgiving. Isaac always ends up bailing out at the last second.

Scott had invited Derek, but he declined saying he had to help his dad with some renovation in their house.

So they spend most of Saturday watching movies and making s'mores on a grill in the backyard and come Sunday morning Scott doesn't wake up until 11. Thankfully Stiles doesn't wake up with him so he goes downstairs and sees Allison and Danny talking over coffee.

"Hey, Dilf," Danny says. He knows Scott hates the nickname (and he has threatened with bodily harm if Stiles ever hears it). "You're up early."

"You're walking, at least," Allison says. "Grab a cup, you know where the sugar and milk are."

Minutes later Scott is sitting down next to Allison and drinking a cup of coffee that's more sugar and milk than anything else.

"Those are fresh ground Mexican beans," Allison says. "You could just drink chocolate milk and it would be healthier."

"There's also chocolate in here," Scott says. Allison laughs.

"So," Danny says, "How are things with Mr. Wolf coming along?"

"His name is Derek," Scott says, as if that would stop Danny from making up nicknames for his boyfriend. "And things are mostly ok."

"Mostly ok?" Allison asks.

Scott sighs. "He asked me to marry him the other day. I told him I wanted to wait and he seemed ok but I don't know if it was the right choice. I mean, we've been together for less than three months and yeah, I love him, but there's still so much we don't know about each other."

Danny looks at Allison and smirks. Allison sighs. "Have you talked about previous relationships?"

Scott looks at her confused. "Well… I have."

"Did you ask about his?"

"Yeah, but he said he didn't have any important ones. Why, do you know something?"

Allison sighs and crosses her arms. "Derek used to date one of my aunts, Kate. This was like ten years ago. Derek was eighteen at the time."

"So, she was like his high school sweetheart?" Scott asks.

"No, my aunt was 30 at the time," Allison says, flat.

Scott raises an eyebrow at her, "Am I supposed to be scandalized by the age difference or something?"

Allison closes her eyes and rubs the bridge of her nose. "No, Scott, that isn't the point. The point is my aunt was awful to him. Derek had just been given a lot of money from his parents, for college and maybe buying an apartment. Derek used a lot of that money in giving gifts to my aunt, expensive ones."

"So he used him?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, for three whole years. Until Derek proposed to her with the exact white gold and diamond ring she had pestered him for," Allison wouldn't open her eyes, and she sounded furious. "He proposed in front of his whole family. Apparently she had said that would show the Derek was no longer a child and he could make his own decisions."

"And she said no?!" Scott almost yells.

"No, she said yes," Allison continues. "Then the next day while Derek was at college she took every single thing he had given her and left."

They fell silent for a bit. "How did I not know this?" Scott asks.

"Well, we were really young when it happened," Allison says. "My dad had this really nasty fight with my grandfather over it. I remember grandpa saying you couldn't steal from werewolves because animals couldn't own anything. It's why my dad and I don't really meet with his family anymore."

Scott did some mental counting. If Derek was 28 now and Scott was 23, it meant Scott had been 13 when Derek met Kate.

"So he's worried I'll leave," Scott says. "But that doesn't explain why he gets so angry with me sometimes."

"I suppose he's also afraid," Danny says. "I mean, from his point of view it doesn't matter how much you say you want to stay. Kate promised him so much and was so sweet that it'll probably take him some time to build trust."

Scott looks at Danny. Yes, he knew the guy was perceptive but that was some pretty deep insight.

"Um, Allison and I may have discussed this when you started dating Wolfman," he says.

\-----

They say knowing's half the battle but Scott had no idea of how to tell Derek what he knew without it seeming completely inappropriate. It's not like he could simply say "Hey, I know your ex was a shitty person but I'm not her!"

The week before Thanksgiving Derek spends most nights at Scott's. He says it's because the arrival of relatives from all over makes the house hectic and he had let some of his relatives stay at his apartment.

Melissa clears a space in her office for Derek to work and Stiles is delighted to have Derek to play with after school. Even if he sucks at video games.

Not one day that week is a day where Derek is distant. In fact, he seems to love being there. Allison tells him it's probably because Kate had never really involved him with her family, werewolf racism and all, so the fact that Scott is willing to have him be there is proof that things are different.

Come Thanksgiving, Derek leaves early to help get everything ready for dinner. Melissa, Stiles and Scott arrive a little before lunch and they're assaulted by friendly and questioning family members. Melissa ends up in the living room sharing stories with a couple of relatives of Derek who happen to be doctors and Scott takes Stiles outside to play with the rest of the children. Or "pups" as the rest of the pack calls them.

As usual, Boyd is the first one to come to Stiles. Scott now knows Boyd and his family used to be packless until the Hales took them in. They live near downtown Beacon Hills but they're like extended family to the Hales.

"Scott, so glad you could come!" Scott turns and without warning he's being embraced by Talia's strong arms.

"So glad you invited us!" Scott says. "Although I don't even know how so many people will fit at a table."

"Neither do I," Talia confides, "which is why I left the planning of this monster event to Alex."

"Anything I can do to help?" Scott asks.

"Laura will have the kids' lunch here in a second. She'll probably appreciate any help you can give her," Talia says, pointing at a large table where Laura is making hot dogs. "Enjoy yourself!"

Scott greets Laura and she soon has him spreading mayo on buns while she heats sausages on an electric grill. 

"I'm really glad you could come," Laura says as she opens some bags of chips and places them on several large bowls. "It's been years since I've seen Derek so excited about Thanksgiving."

Scott's hand trembles and he drops the knife he's using on the table. He picks it up and smiles at Laura. "I'm really glad he invited me. I've always wanted to have a big Thanksgiving like this."

Laura laughs. "It's fun, isn't it? I'm used to it and I like it a lot but I'm also delighted that our plans for Christmas are going on a cruise just the three of us."

"Sounds like fun," Scott says. "I'm sure Erica will love it."

"Does Stiles like the ocean?" Laura asks.

"He likes the beach well enough," Scott says. "He prefers the pool, though."

"Ugh, pools," Laura says. "Don't get me wrong, I will gladly get in one on a hot summer day but the smell of chlorine stays in your hair for days."

She sits beside Scott, handing him a large glass of soda. "So, you and Derek seem to be doing ok."

"Yeah." Scott smiles. "He's awesome. And Stiles really likes him, too."

"Derek won't stop talking about Stiles," Laura says. "And Erica adores him. I apologize now for all the trouble she'll get him into when they're teenagers."

Scott smiles at that. Part of him already knew that Erica and Stiles could grow up to be friends. But hearing Laura talk like this makes him feel like he's already family.

When she sees things are about ready she howls. It's the first time Scott has heard a werwolf howl (up front, since he now realizes he must've heard some at night). The kids perk up and run to her.

Each kid is given a paper plate with one or two hot dogs. Scott helps the little ones put ketchup and mustard on theirs. The kids sit by the shade of nearby trees as they eat. Stiles sits with Erica, Boyd and other kids a little older than him.

"Listen," Laura says, her voice low. "I know I should stay out of your business but I wanted to tell you about Derek-"

"I know," Scott says, voice even lower than Laura's. She seems confused. "I'm friends with Allison Argent, Chris' daughter."

"The only two decent people out of that bunch," Laura says.

"I just want him to see I'm not like her, you know?"

Laura grins and messes his hair as if she was his older sister. "Just be you, then. I can tell you that in all my time with that… woman… I never ever had a talk like this with her."

One of the older werewolves comes out then and the children ask him for a story. He tells them one where Little Red Riding Hood is the town's weirdo because she could talk to animals. In this story, the hood is given to Little Red by a sly fox who tells her the hood will grant her safe passage through the forest. When Little Red is chased out of the town by angry villagers that think she's been helping the animals destroy their crops, the Big Wolf comes and saves her. She rides on the wolf's back and leaves her at a neighboring castle, where the prince falls in love and marries her. 

"Why didn't she marry the wolf?" Erica asks, annoyed.

"Because the wolf didn't tell Little Red he loved her," the old werewolf says. "He let her go because he thought she would be happier with a human."

"That's dumb," Peter's nine year old daughter, Amelia, says. "My mom's human and she's happy with my dad."

"So now you know that even wolves can be foolish when it comes to love," the old werewolf states. 

"What about the village?" Stiles asks. "Who was messing up their farms?"

"They were messing up each other's farms," he answers. "They each wanted to be the only ones with crops so that come winter they could sell them expensively. Sadly, their greed made it so that they had a cold and hungry winter."

Another howl is heard. This time it's Talia's, signaling dinner is to be served. Scott takes Stiles to the children's table,which is to be supervised by Peter, Denisse and their oldest son, Peter Jr. Scott follows Laura to the dining room where he sits between Derek and Melissa. He hugs his mom and kisses Derek softly on the lips.

"Hey, stranger," he whispers.

"I've been making dinner for this army," Derek says. "I'm really happy you're here."

Scott smiles and kisses him again. Talia clears her throat and he turns to her, embarrassed. She smiles and glances around the table. Scott is happy to see Derek and him weren't the only ones distracted. 

When everyone's paying attention, she turns to Alex and nods.

"We're gathered here today to say thank you" he begins. "I, myself have a lot of things to be grateful for. Starting with my beautiful wife, my amazing children, and the rest of the people that I'm proud to call family gathered around this table.

"It means a lot to us that you've come, some of you from very far, to share with us this meal. We're pack, and it's good to see that our bonds are strong. We help each other in times in need, we support each other when necessary, we celebrate together our triumphs and we're there to help one another if we happen to fall

"It pains me to realize there are some faces missing here from last year that we'll never see again, but it also gives me great joy to see new faces here. A pack whose heart is closed and unwelcoming, is a pack that is doomed to fail.

"Not all of us believe in that 'God' the pilgrims prayed for so many years ago. But if you, like me, are grateful for this, here, now, I'd like you to lift your glass and howl with me."

Scott looks at Derek, worried, but Derek simply takes his hand in his and smiles reassuringly. Scott uses his left hand to grab his glass and raise it. He howls along with the rest of them, feeling very silly and wishing he could hear Derek's howl on its own. His mom laughs next to him and Cora tells her that her howl was awful as they both laugh.

"I don't know what the next year has in store for us," Alex finishes, his glass still held high, "but we'll be together so it'll be fine. Cheers."

Scott looks at Derek, who also recognizes the echo of Scott's words from that night. They clink glasses with each other and their neighbors. Their hands are still intertwined under the table. They grin at each other.

Talia says "Come on, let's eat" as she wipes tears off her face with a napkin. A howl from the children's table has them laughing and some of the more sentimental at the table shed another tear. Scott's among them, having recognized Stiles' quite enthusiastic howl. Alex begins slicing the turkey and dinner conversation begins.

\-----

It's almost 1AM when Derek takes a sleeping Stiles from Boyd's side and walks with Scott to Melissa's van. Melissa herself was picked up by Chris a few hours ago, much to Scott's surprise. Not only because Chris was supposed to go with Allison but also because he had no idea they were seeing each other.

Derek takes the keys from Scott and they put Stiles in his booster chair. Alex gives them some leftovers and a whole pecan pie to take home.

Scott mutters sleepily about how much he enjoyed the night. Derek hears a car coming at a very fast speed in the opposite direction and slows down. The car, a large SUV spins out of control and hits them, pushing them off the road.

Derek smells the blood before he turns to see Scott. He's unconscious. His side of the car hit against a tree and Derek can't see how damaged he is but he knows it's bad. Stiles is crying in the back seat and yelling for his dad.

He reaches for his phone and dials 911 at the same time he reaches for Stiles. He seems unharmed but he's in hysterics and trying to get out of his chair to get to his dad.

His pack is there then. Just like he suspected, they were close enough for them to hear the accident. It's a confusing mess of sounds and smells and the only thing he knows is that he's not leaving Scott or Stiles alone.

"Derek," he hears his mom. "Derek, focus!"

He realizes his mom just had to use her alpha voice to get him to listen to her.

"Derek, you need to get out so the paramedics can get to Scott," Talia says, her tone stern. "Melissa will meet us at the hospital."

"Mom, you can't let him die," Derek sobs.

"I won't," his mother states.

"According to the law," someone starts saying.

"I won't let Scott McCall die," Talia says, in her most commanding tone.

Slowly, Derek starts to pull himself together. The paramedics manage to get Scott out and Derek has to hold on to Stiles with all of his strength so that the kid can't run off to him. "It's okay, Stiles," he says. "We're gonna be with him and he's gonna be fine."

The paramedics won't let Derek ride with Scott in the ambulance, but he thinks it's better for Stiles not to see his father like that. A whole caravan of Hale cars follow the ambulance to the hospital where Melissa's already waiting.

"There's too much blood loss," the paramedic that arrives with Scott says. "We might still save him but we're about to enter the point where we can't allow for the bite."

Melissa looks at Talia, her eyes showing she's been crying a lot. She looks at Chris, who's holding her tightly, anchoring her.

"The bite isn't a sure bet, either," he says. "But if it was my Allie in that bed, I would beg any alpha around to give her the bite."

"Talia, please," Melissa starts, but she chokes on a sob. Talia nods and bites Scott's shoulder, deep. The paramedics wheel him away, Melissa, Chris, Derek and Stiles follow.

Talia, Alex, and the rest of the Hales stay behind, hoping for the best.

\-----

The two drunk teenagers driving the SUV that crashed against them are mostly unharmed. The angry talks they got from their parents, Melissa, and Talia will make sure they don't ever think of doing anything similar ever again.

Stiles, after a thorough medical checkup, is declared to be 100% fine.

Scott spends a rough night at the hospital, but in the morning his body has healed completely and when he wakes up his mother hugs him so tightly he almost pukes.

"Melissa, let him breathe," Chris admonishes, but he's smiling and his eyes are watery.

"Where's Stiles?" Scott asks.

"Sleeping in Derek's arms out in the hallway," Melissa says. "Oh, honey, I thought I lost you."

Scott looks at himself and frowns, confused.

"I asked Talia to give you the bite," she says.

"Is Derek here?" Scott asks.

"Considering he's been keeping track of your heart all night, I'm surprised he hasn't barged in here," Chris says.

Derek peeks in at that moment, a sleeping Stiles on his shoulder. They stare at each other for a second before Scott opens his arms. Derek walks quickly to him and hugs him, Stiles ends up sandwiched between the two. He wakes up then, groggy and grumpy until he realizes what's going on. He looks at his dad and immediately starts crying.

"It's ok, baby," Scott says. "Daddy's fine. Daddy's here."

The three of them stay together for a while.

\-----

Since his werewolf powers healed him, Scott is let out of the hospital an hour after he wakes up. He walks out as if nothing had happened to him in the first place. Talia tells him she need to see him before the full moon and then lets them go home.

His initial worry was that Stiles would fear him or, worse, reject him. Stiles, however, seems to not want to let him go. At all. He starts wanting to sleep in Scott's bed which is cute the first week but afterwards worries both him and Derek.

"He almost lost you," Derek whispers one night. "It makes sense that he doesn't want to let you go." Stiles is nestled between the two of them, fast asleep.

"Yeah, but he cries every day before going to school," Scott answers. "And now that I smell his fear I smell it all of the time."

Derek nods. "I think we need to talk to him," Derek says. "Let him know that you're ok and you won't go anywhere."

Scott takes advantage of the next Saturday when their watching cartoons. Stiles is pretty much a barnacle at his side. They're on their own for the day.

"Stiles," he starts. "I need to talk to you?"

Stiles instantly looks panicked and yells "I'm sorry!"

Scott's thoroughly baffled. "You didn't do anything wrong, Stiles, I just want to talk to you."

"No, daddy, please don't send me away!" Stiles buries his face in Scott's chest, and he's sobbing immediately.

"Stiles, I would never send you away!" Scott says, worried. He takes Stiles face in his hands and looks him in the eye. "Bogdan McCall, listen to me."

Stiles instantly quiets, Scott only ever uses his full name when he's being completely serious. "You're listening, good. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I would die before letting you go, ok?"

Stiles begins crying again. "But it's my fault!" he yells.

"What? The accident?"

Stiles nods. "My first mommy and daddy died and now you were hurt. I'm sorry!"

"Baby," Scott coos, placing Stiles on his lap and hugging him tightly. "No, baby, no. Don't even say that."

"But-"

"No, listen to me. Your mom and dad didn't die because of you. They loved you so much that they gave you your name and you know what it means?"

Stiles shook his head, wiping his face on the back of his hand.

"It means gift from God," Scott says, "because they were so, so happy to have you. So happy to have a beautiful baby boy. Like I am, and I would never, ever leave you."

"But then why did they die?" Stiles complains. "Why did you get hurt?"

Scott sighs, wishing he was far smarter than he was at that point. "I don't know, Stiles," he says. "Bad things happen sometimes."

"Bad things suck!" Stiles says, sulking.

Scott laughs. "Yeah, they do." He kisses Stiles forehead and cheeks, wanting to put all his love in each kiss. "But I have you, and you have me, and together we can try to make good things to balance out the bad, ok?"

Stiles sighs, still sobbing a little. "Is Derek gonna be here, too?"

Scott gives him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he will."

\-----

Slowly, their lives come back to normal again. Scott's control during full moons is helped by having Derek with him and Stiles often asks them both to wolf out. They spend Christmas at the Hale's, which is a much smaller affair. They're opening presents, Stiles, Boyd, and Peter's children making a mess of wrapping paper, when Scott decides to surprise Derek.

He just opened Derek's present, plane tickets for the four of them to spend New Year's visiting Melissa's family in Mexico, when he decides to go all out.

"Hey where's my present?" Derek says, looking at the packages left under the tree. "Did you forget?"

"No, it's here," Scott says. He walks to Derek and goes on one knee. "Derek Hale."

"Oh no!" Derek says, forcing him to stand up and getting on one knee himself. "I'm the one who was supposed to surprise you with this."

Scott huffs, "Well, you can go first if you want," Scott says. There's a lot of giggling from around them. Except for the kids who've gone quiet.

"Perfect," Derek says, "Scott, you asked me why I got distant from time to time. I know you know about Kate because Laura told me."

Scott wishes Laura hand't gone on that cruise because now he can only roll his eyes instead of glaring daggers at her.

"And that's part of it, but there's also the wolf thing I mentioned."

Derek takes a deep breath before continuing. "From the moment I met you and Stiles my wolf told me, 'these two, they need you' and I believed him. But it was wrong. Scott, you're a great guy and a great dad. You don't need me to be that. I would, however, be honored if you chose me to spend the rest of our lives taking care of each other, like mates do. Would you want that, Scott?"

Melissa is crying openly by now, and Talia and Alex are holding each other's hands tightly. Alex Jr. and his wife along with Gabriel, Cora and the children are staring expectantly at Scott. Peter and Denisse are looking from the door, making flirty faces at each other.

"Yeah," Scott says, trying not to cry. "Yeah, I would like that very, very much, Derek."

Derek them takes a ring out from his pocket, it's a simple silver band with an obsidian embedded in. He puts it on Scott's finger and stands.

"Ok," Derek whispers. "Now it's your turn."

"I didn't write a speech, you asshole," Scott says, and everybody laughs. "Let me give it a shot, though."

Scott kneels again and take his ring out, it's very similar to the one Derek gave him but it's less round around the edged.

"Derek Hale," he starts. "You make my life better. You make my son's life better. And I want to make your life better. So, please marry me?"

There's silence as Scott puts the ring on Derek's finger. Then he stands up and hugs Derek. 

"That sucked, didn't it?" Scott asks.

Everyone laughs again.

"It was perfect," Derek says, kissing him. He stares into his eyes and smiles wide. "Perfect."

\-----

THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW NOW THAT THIS FANFIC IS OVER:

\- Their wedding was a summer thing, and it was in the Hale property. It was as noisy and joyful as you can expect a wedding to be when Mexican and werewolf traditions collide.

\- Allison and Lydia obviously became unofficial part of the Hale pack, as did Danny and the twins. Allison and Lydia had two kids: one boy and one girl.

\- Isaac, who was mentioned in Chapter 1, is around. You can imagine what you want for him but do know that his abusive father is nowhere near him in this universe.

\- Scott and Derek adopted a packless werewolf baby girl a little after Stiles turned 8. They named her Samantha.

\- It took until Stiles was 21 for him to realize that Boyd loved him.

\- Stiles never accepted the bite because both his parents were human.

\- Laura will be pack alpha after Talia retires, and Erica will follow afterwards.

\- Scott calls Stiles like that because the name Bogdan seemed too strong for a baby so he started calling him Stilinski and that became "Stiles".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! You guys were more than inspiring! :)
> 
> Comments and critiques are more than welcome.
> 
> You can follow me here: idratherwewrite.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for your kudos and comments. :)
> 
> You can follow me in tumblr [here](http://ashleighblogs.tumblr.com).
> 
> Or in twitter [here](https://twitter.com/ashleightweets).


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